We had a lovely GCSE Revision Day today. Students from different schools came together and worked towards that common goal. It was a joy to behold! I wish them well for the exams and beyond. This is the beauty of teaching, happy, confident student faces.
if we really stop and think, we are all pretty well educated on the need to alter our practices in order to save the planet. The majority of us will recycle, shut off energy when not in use and other means of preserving the natural environment. With this being so, I don’t understand why the message does not translate as well about changing our practices to preserve our relationships between fellow citizens of this earth. When we look at the events of the last few weeks on the streets, it is so sad.it makes me question what lesson has fallen by the way side that has led to people not being able to talk and instead doing these awful things. Emotional intelligence is so important for any society.
So the next question must be, when is the best time to start this education, you know, to make the most impact? Ideally, it would be from birth. As parents, we would like to think that we educate our children to listen, ask questions and act in a kind, humane way. This makes such a difference and you can see this in many people. Lets say for argument sake though, that the lessons don’t hit home at the first attempt. Surely then the best times for these lessons are everyday of our lives.
A kind word, a loving thought, a smile even. All of these things can only be returned positively. They can change a whole day. The truth is everyone has things happening in their life that no-one knows about, and life can seem a lonely place. You know I learned that from experience. As I said last week, there were times when I felt like there was no way forwards. Thankfully, I was caught early by Miss Elaine Carabin, I was 14 and worked since then on looking in front of me and living for now. In many ways, my future as an educationalist started with Miss Carabin. Not everyone is as lucky though. They do not have someone to really help them to sort out their feelings, their passions, their fears. Sometimes what is needed is a way of channeling feelings until a positive response is reached.
I have dedicated my business to teaching students of all ages to get to this. A point where they can recognise opportunities, have confidence, recognise that everyone contributes in this world and whilst sometimes its hard to understand, a positive response with love stirred in will always be most effective. The message is clearer.
The level of hatred displayed in our world everyday says clearly that there is another environmental issue that needs work. Let this week be one in which we start to recycle those bad feelings and start to love again. Let this be the week that if someone, no matter how old or young needs to talk, we try to listen and hear. Lets work towards having not just a clean sustainable earth but great love in the hearts of its inhabitants. In reality we need both. My heart is with all of those affected by the Woolwich Tragedy and indeed around the world.
I will be smiling and saying good morning as I go about my days this week as always. If you don’t, just try it, the day feels that much better for it. Have a good week. 😀
Without dressing it up in frills and bows I would admit, I had a pretty rotten chilhood. It had a few high points and definite blessings but its not one I would wish for my own children. I believe that children should feel the openness and innocence of childhood and take those pigeon steps into life . I can only imagine that this would enable them to feel the changes and gratitude that comes with watching those childhood dreams happen in reality. It gets there.
My reality is that thankfully I have been able to forgive my childhood and live now. My dreams slowly but absolutely surely happen until sometimes I find myself walking along with the biggest smile on my face, and people are smiling back and I don’t realise it at first but it’s because I’m smiling! No one could really deny it but we don’t really have to look hard to see the great things around us, we just have to want to see them.
I had a book and product launch for my series of story textbooks last Friday. It all seemed a bit surreal to me. Me, a published author and running a creative business, wow! Having a book launch, wow, seeing the support of my oldest and dearest friend Jackie Grieve still there after so many years wow!, I could go on! But I can still think back to that time of being 11 and how sad, lonely and impossible happiness seemed.Jackie Grieve would understand that point because she lived it with me and held me up many times. At the launch my goodness, I laughed, I smiled, my passion for the product was right there. I think what was foremost in my mind was the effect that I know it will bring to so many people’s lives. It will bring changes for children and
Adults. That was my dream, to live in a place of abundant happiness and love.
And you know what, more possibilities arose out of the evening than I could have hoped for. I’m so grateful, there’s so much more to do but it’s part of it. In reality my life was always blessed and now it is even more. I have always watched shows like Oprah and set about using her approach and I read Iyanla Vanzant and drank in the words like food for the soul and it is making sense. I can’t imagine a return to any other state than my current one.
So my wish for this week is that those people, both young children and adults who feel like its all hopeless start to realise that it’s okay to build a dream. Once they have the dream, ask for it and believe it. It’s a process and in recognising the magic of life now, happiness and contentment will follow. See you next week 😀
It’s been a week of happiness and breakthroughs. I don’t know if it is because it is getting warmer and sunnier but it is so great when the smiles on faces around me get more frequent and lasting. Last week I spoke of the student who lacked confidence on such a level that I caught tears in her eyes. How great it was this week after a few more days working with her when she literally bounced into the classroom last Thursday with a smile which I swear hit both ears! The enthusiasm was like, wow! Suddenly, she has realised that she can have it too, happiness , contentment and all the things she wants. She seems to have discovered her inner confidence and is ready to use it. Now that’s what I’m talking about!
It is a state of mind that I wish for so many people. It is difficult sometimes to see all of the wonderful things happening around us, I know this as much as anyone else. Sometimes it takes others to point it out to us but I discovered much to my joy that there is no shame in seeing It for myself. We as a society, as a world community, don’t celebrate our positives quite enough.
Can you even imagine what a wonderful sight it would be if people recognised that everyone has something to give, something that is needed and wanted. The happiness it would bring to the world would be a thing to behold. This is why I will always be a big fan of John Lennon, he had vision, as did Martin Luther King and so many inspirational others. We actually don’t need to fight over anything. There is plenty for everyone and it comes in so many different flavours too. My students are seeing this now and I couldn’t be more pleased.
I wish you a week of all the flavours of happy you would want. Taste it, it’s lovely! See you next week 😀
When we recognise all the good, and we are grateful for its presence the outcome is much more than magical. One positive, grateful thought can change a whole day.
Over the last few days my mind has been quite squarely on how as a society, we do not spend the time to actually look at each other as we interact. Okay yes, it’s great that technology speeds everything up and more can be done through a computer or smart phone but I honestly believe that so much is being missed because of this. It became even clearer in an English lesson I was teaching, these kids have their exams approaching rapidly and are quite stressed. I asked a young lady to read out her answer to a question and she refused. Now I always have confidence in my students so I took her book and started to read it out. She was so upset and stood up and shouted ‘I said no! ‘ . This was new to me because we don’t have those reactions in my classroom as a norm. I asked her to step outside.
This request was not to tell her off but in that moment, when she shouted, I caught a look in her eyes and she was scared. When I took her outside of the room, I spoke to her of the need for her to have confidence in herself. It’s so important, if she has no confidence then she would struggle to get her answers down. She said she knows but was afraid of everyone laughing at her, I gave her a hug and reassured her that that would not happen because she showed courage in writing an answer. There were people in the room who had not even done that. By the end of that few minutes, it became more apparent that somehow, somewhere the emotional needs of this child had been ignored. She came back though, I even got a smile before the end of the lesson.
Perhaps there is a message in education because Anti Bullying Campaigns and policies only seem to scratch the surface of the problem. To a large extent, reporting has gotten in the way of actually getting to know students personalities, looking in their faces, helping them recognise their strengths and being proud of what they can do. That little bit of extra confidence and positivity can work wonders in their outcomes. In reality too, this will be one more adult ultimately walking tall, confident, smiling, spreading love and spreading the message to future generations that they can do anything if they do it with love and confidence.
I think that this will be my opening message in the upcoming GCSE Revision Day. Always believe that something wonderful is about to happen. Feel happy and enjoy the ride because you have it within you to achieve anything, one of the central themes of Codey Learns (www.codey-learns.co.uk). I love what we do so much. I really feel like there is nothing better than those faces on results day.
But when I think about that student this week and the tears in her eyes, I know that I will always work towards drying those tears wherever they appear. Happiness will lead to success and everyone deserves this. Everyone has a battle that we may not know about, a smile will take them one step towards winning.
See you next week 😀
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